Dimensions
Sculpture:
59.1 x 76.4 x 61.8 inch (H*L*W) 842.2 lbs
150 x 194 x 157 cm (H*L*W) 382 kgs
Base:
72.0 x 58.7 inch (L*W)
183 x 149 cm (L*W)
Medium
Bronze
Style
Contemporary Sculpture, Wildlife, Activist Art
Edition Number
/6
Description
This baby girl loves trekking through her forested home in India, single file with her mum and aunties as they march around finding food. She finds it amazing watching how high her mum can reach to get the tastiest food, she will be that big one day too! But the matriarch of her herd has told her how far they used to march on their quest for food. It was so much bigger before, now as they walk their old routes they bump into parts with no trees, just funny buildings with lots of people. The people don’t like it when they go in there but what choice do they have?
These gentle giants are not just found in India as their name suggests, but many countries in mainland Asia including Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Laos, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. They are considered megaherbivores and need to consume huge amounts of food every day, a whopping 150 kg! They spend about 19 hours of their day dedicated to eating, wandering a huge area to find everything they need. This is great for the plants as well because the elephants distribute their seeds as they wander around. Their trunks have a special finger-like part which makes it very easy to grasp their intended food.
Indian elephants are constantly on the move, never staying anywhere for more than a few days. They travel in groups of females and their young, led by the oldest matriarch. They communicate with each other using low-frequency noises which can be herd for away. When they get hot, they flap their ears which helps them to release heat. They love water and can smell it up to 3 miles away. Once there they can take a long drink and have fun, diving and swimming. They have a natural buoyancy which gives their joints a nice break.
When a female is about to give birth, the other members of the herd crowd around to protect her. Her very large baby starts feeding on the mother’s milk and can stand after 2 hours. The entire herd helps to look after the calves so the baby is blessed with many dotting ‘aunties’. They are weaned at 2-4 years and the females are ready to mate themselves when they are 10 years old.
One of the biggest threats to Indian elephants is habitat loss and fragmentation. Increasing human populations means that expansion is booming with illegal encroachment into protected areas becoming a real problem. This takes away food and shelter for the elephants and can also stop them from walking their ancient migratory routes and meeting other herds. This is also a problem when they are forced to look for alternative food sources and move into human crops. They have caused millions of dollars worth of damage which results in very angry farmers who will often kill them to stop it from happening again. Another big problem is the illegal ivory trade. The males, the only ones with tusks, are poached for their precious ivory, a market that is still increasing despite being banned worldwide. This leaves the sex ratio severely unbalanced with far more females than males making it harder to find a mate.
Artwork Features
Gillie and Marc love working in bronze for many reasons. Bronze is a very hardy material and will last forever. As experts in coloring bronze, Gillie and Marc enjoy experimenting with their sculptures, adding a splash of color to brighten the work, making it even more unique. > Read more
Care Instructions
Bronze is very easy to clean, allowing you to enjoy your precious sculpture with minimal upkeep. > Read more
Shipping, Returns and Refunds
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Give Back to WWF-AUSTRALIA
With every edition purchased, Gillie and Marc will proudly donate 30% of proceeds to support WWF-Australia.
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
For more information, visit https://wwf.org.au/donate/wild-about-babies/
